Question [SVR - RCI Points]

[KellyGirl]

I have seen on eBay an ad for a Sheraton Vistana Resort/Cascades that is for sale. It is being advertised as:
RCI POINTS 56,000 SHERATON VISTANA RESORT 2 BEDROOM ORLANDO, FLORIDA

http://www.ebay.com/itm/11076484478...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_3211wt_1270

Does this mean it comes w/RCI points or do you have to join RCI in order to get the points and use them outside of Starwood.

 

[DeniseM]

It means that the week is already in an RCI Pts. Acct. and the points are used with RCI - not Starwood. Or, you could choose to take it out of RCI if you wished.

SVR does not have Staroptions or Starpoints, when you buy it on the resale market.

If you took it out of RCI, you could exchange it with II, or use it yourself.

 

[YYJMSP]

It means that the week is already in an RCI Pts. Acct. and the points are used with RCI - not Starwood. Or, you could choose to take it out of RCI if you wished.

SVR does not have Staroptions or Starpoints, when you buy it on the resale market.

If you took it out of RCI, you could exchange it with II, or use it yourself.

You should confirm the exact relationship between that unit and RCI.

When we were looking at some SVR units a year or so ago, we found one with a very similar description. Our SVO rep looked up the unit for us, and responded back with

the Owner has his ownership enrolled into RCI Points. This means that he has entered into a term agreement (term is usually 5 to 10 years) and the week ‘essentially’ belongs to RCI for the life of their agreement; in exchange for the Owner’s use of RCI Points (which really stink!). The Owner really needs to try and dissolve his agreement before selling b/c anyone that buys it is bound to the same agreement that he signed with RCI; and it is really hard to get out of. ​

I'm not suggesting that is the case with this particular auction, but it is definitely in your best interest to fully investigate, or to pass and go look at one of the many other auctions for similar units...

 

[jerseygirl]

Not suprisingly, the rep stretched the truth just a little bit! The term is 3 years -- and I'm pretty sure RCI wouldn't try to stop anyone from withdrawing early. Also, the buyer has the choice of transferring the RCI points membership upon purchase for a small fee or simply pulling the week from points (no cost).

SVR has a very low RCI points enrollment fee compared to most resorts ($499, I believe). A transfer is even cheaper ($129 - $199), but, again, is certainly not required. If someone wants RCI points, buying an already enrolled week is the way to go (provided the price is not more than $499 higher than an unenrolled week). If someone doesn't want RCI points, there's no difference between buying an enrolled vs an unenrolled week -- just don't complete the RCI Points Transfer form or pay the RCI Points Transfer fee and the week reverts to a regular, old week. It's simply not true that the seller's agreement with RCI binds the buyer to the same program.

 

[Captron]

The only potential kink there Lisa is if the week for next year is already committed to someone for a points exchange. They probably have enough inventory or could swing a way to make it a weeks deposit for you instead.

OP: As with any resale purchase it is important to determine the disposition of the current and next year availability whether they are deposited, booked etc. With the RCI points program the unit is the equivalent of "automatically deposited" each year so find out from RCI what your options would be.

 

[DeniseM]

Years ago, we bought a week that was in RCI points - but we didn't know it. When we failed to pay the RCI fees, it converted back into a regular week with no effort on our part.

 

[KellyGirl]

Years ago, we bought a week that was in RCI points - but we didn't know it. When we failed to pay the RCI fees, it converted back into a regular week with no effort on our part.

That is good to know since we would use SVR in the week it's deeded, week 25, should we get the highest bid, that is! So, I guess if someday we wanted to go somewhere else and/or another week then we could join RCI or II, for a fee.

 

[DeniseM]

Just so you know - this is not a true fixed week - you still have to reserve it, and II will treat it like a floating week:

Cascades -
Fixed/float at home resort - reserve your fixed week up until 10 mos, and then it converts to a floating week.
Floating week when deposited with II
Unit sizes - 2 bdm. L/O, Dedicated 2 bdm., 1 Bdm. Prem.(855 Sq. ft.), 1 bdm. (482 sq. ft.) 1 Bdm. (471 sq. ft.)
Check-in - Fri, Sat, Sun, (3, 7, and 6 bldgs)